Recording - December 2015 - 44

Michael Flores / Gidgets Ga Ga

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David Sensat
Equipment: Korg D3200 desktop mixer/recorder, VOX ToneLab, ART
StudioV3 Tube MP, MXL V57M mic, Beta Monkey drum loops, live
bongos and hi-hats, Squier Bass, Gibson Les Paul, Fender
Stratocaster, KRK Rokit 6 Monitors, Audio-Technica ATH-M45 headphones, IK Multimedia T-RackS 24 mastering software.

Music: "Crusin On" is a male vocal blues/rock song. David wrote the
music and played the guitars and bass. Parker Townsend wrote the
lyrics, sang the lead vocal, and played bongos and hi-hats.
Recording: A mighty fine overall effort from David and Parker.
Recorded on a standalone Korg D3200 multitracker, the guys certainly know how to bring the funk to the party!
Starting with the rhythm section, the decision to augment the basic
drum kit programming with the bongos here allows for a lot of excitement, similar in concept to the classic early Allman Bros. sound.
Through our monitors the balance between the two weighed a bit
heavy in favor of the bongos, although this may have been a conscious
choice that was made to "disguise" the programmed drums.
Moving on to the bass, both the tone and performance continue the
Allmans vibe, with plenty of movement and a bright, articulate tone. As
for the guitars, David's killer guitar style is a lot more Austin TX than
Macon GA. We absolutely love the tone coming from that Fender
Strat/VOX ToneLab combination, and hats off to David for his fiery yet
nuanced playing. Killer!
Parker also stepped up to the plate in fine fashion here, his worldly vocals
are delivered quite nicely through the MXL V57M condenser mic/ART
StudioV3 Tube MP signal chain. No sibilance or other artifacts in sight.
As for potential problem spots, to our ears the heavy reverb on the
drum kit was a bit much, especially during the song's intro, where it
sounds somewhat unbalanced in the stereo field.
Suggestions: As you can see, we were pretty darn impressed with "Crusin
On" and all of the thought and work that went into it. As for suggestions,
reducing the reverb on the drums would integrate them more smoothly in the
track, as would reducing the volume of the bongos by a hair or two.
Summary: Bravo, sirs!
Contact: David Sensat, davidsensat@sbcglobal.net
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Equipment: Core 2 Quad PC with Universal Audio UAD-2 QUAD
card and Apple MacBook running Steinberg Cubase 4 & 5 with
Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3, Waves L3, IR1, R-Bass, and R-Vox,
Audio Ease Speakerphone, PSP 42 delay, and the following UAD-2
plug-ins: 1176, LA-2A, Fairchild 670, Helios Type 69, Neve 88R, Neve
1081, EMT Plate 140, Cambridge, Pultec Pro, SPL Transient
Designer, Little Labs IBP, Precision De-esser. Neotek Series 1E mixing
console, John Hardy M1 mic preamp, Yamaha NS10 and ADAM
Audio A7 monitors, AKG Headphones. Drums: DW 5 piece with
Zildjian & Sabian cymbals, miked with AKG D112, Shure SM98,
SM57, Audio-Technica AT4033, Neumann U87. Bass Guitar: Fender
1969 Precision Bass, Ampeg Vintage SVT Head and 2x15 cabinet,
SWR Baby Blue, Radial J48 DI box. Guitars: Martin DX-1, Fender
Koa Stratocaster, 1972 Fender Deluxe Reissue Telecaster. Guitar
Amps: Fender Pro Junior, Vox AC15CC2, Hi Watt Lead 30, Fender
Hot Rod Deluxe, 1965 Magnatone Estey 1 x 12. Guitar Effects:
Dunlop UniVibe, Ibanez Tube Screamer. Miked with Neumann U89,
Beyer M88, Sennheiser MD421, Shure SM57, Shure KSM32. Vocals
miked with Neumann U89. "The studio is acoustically treated with
bass traps, diffusers and absorbers from Auralex Acoustics."

Music: "The Sorry Song" is a male vocal rock tune. The song was
recorded, engineered, mixed, remixed, mastered and co-produced
by Brien Shaw and Michael Flores at Asylum Audiowerks (Brien's
basement studio). Michael wrote the song, played the guitars and
sang the vocals. Zac Zidron played bass and Larry Beers laid down
the drums. The song was arranged by Gidgets Ga Ga.
Recording: Michael and the band have submitted a cool energetic track here, with good performances all around. Unfortunately
there are some issues in the mix that are keeping the song from
reaching its full potential, in our opinion.
In an attempt to evaluate the individual sound sources in "The
Sorry Song" we were continually stymied by a "clicky" metallic
veneer that seemed to have invaded the entire mix. Starting with the
lead vocal, we are presented with a thin, smeared, and sibilant
tone. The same effect is also present on the kick drum and the guitars to a lesser degree. Too bad, because under it all is a fine effort.
Suggestions: Where and when in the recording/mixing/mastering
chain all of this occurred is anyone's guess. Michael has listed a
plethora of plug-ins that were used during the project, and every single one of them comes with an impeccable pedigree. That said, how
these various plug-ins were applied could have a great deal to do
with the troubles here.
We would urge Michael to return to his original tracks without
any processing, and begin to reassess his mix. Sibilance this pronounced would clearly be evident from the get-go, and if it was,
the whole process should have stopped long enough to try different mics or positioning. If, however, the problems were due to
incorrect or overdone processing, stripping away the effects may
provide some answers as well. Stacking effects can be tricky and
it can take extensive experimentation to perfect.
Lastly, despite the quality of the ADAM monitors (and the familiarity of the NS10!) and the purported treatment of the room, we
have to wonder if the overall thinness of the mix could have come
from issues at the mix position. Just because a room has stuff on
the walls doesn't mean it sounds right.
Once again, we have to stress the importance of A/Bing mixes
against other recordings of a similar genre, preferably on several different speaker systems. We know that there is a quality track in here...
a second look will likely bring it to the light of day.
Summary: Worth a remix!
Contact: Michael Flores / Gidgets Ga Ga,
contact@gidgetsgaga.com

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